Fortunately, federal funding programs like the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) are available to help communities make investments in sensible 21st century water solutions that also help prepare for the worst effects of climate change. In our new issue paper, Using State Revolving Funds to Build Climate-Resilient Communities, we share how states and municipalities can better integrate water efficiency, green infrastructure, and flood resiliency into the SRFs to ensure a safe, sufficient water future. We also discuss the legal authority for states to implement these recommendations and provide examples of states and municipalities already experiencing successes with these approaches.

Since their creation, the SRFs have collectively financed more than $125 billion of public health and water quality protection projects across the country. While the SRFs also can be used to make water and wastewater infrastructure more resilient to flooding, drought, and other climate change risks, SRF loans and grants have been underutilized for these much-needed purposes. In fact, these risks are not routinely considered, increasing the likelihood that climate change will either render SRF projects inadequate or make them more vulnerable to damage.

Promoting the availability of SRF support for water conservation plans, projects, and programs;

Requiring water and wastewater utilities to adopt comprehensive water conservation plans or specific policies or programs as a condition for funding;

Requiring that projects seeking funding (1) evaluate water conservation alternatives, (2) include any measures that reduce the net capital/operating costs of the project, and (3) incorporate the resulting flow reductions into the design of the overall project; and

Ensuring that designs of new, replacement, or expanded infrastructure are based on the most current data and projections of per capita water demand.

Green infrastructure techniques can reduce flood risks associated with heavy rainfall events. These techniques use soils and vegetation in urban areas to absorb runoff where it falls, limiting flooding and sewer backups. Green roofs, rain gardens, roadside plantings, porous pavement, and rainwater harvesting not only reduce flooding and protect water quality, they also transform rainwater from a source of pollution into a valuable resource. States can increase SRF support for green infrastructure projects by:

Assigning a higher priority to green infrastructure projects on the Project Priority List through modification of state scoring criteria;

Water infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to flood risks from more extreme rainfall events and sea level rise. Intense rainfall and coastal storm surges threaten water management and flood control infrastructure, increasing risks for treatment plants and other facilities and jeopardizing service reliability. Wastewater infrastructure is particularly at high risk due to their typically low elevation. States can implement several measures to ensure that SRF projects adequately consider existing and future flood risks to help reduce damages, decrease service interruptions, and minimize threats to public health and safety:

Promote the availability of SRF support for flood risk reduction measures that better protect water and wastewater infrastructure;

Avoid funding water and wastewater infrastructure projects in the 500-year floodplain whenever possible;

Require protection against either the 500-year flood event or the highest historical flood event—whichever is greater—for projects located in the 500-year floodplain;